MasterChef Junior

MasterChef Junior is an American cooking competition involving children from the ages of 8–13 that premiered on Fox on September 27, 2013. It is based on the format of the British series Junior MasterChef.[1]

This article is about the American version of Junior MasterChef. For the whole series franchise, see Junior MasterChef. For the most recent season, see MasterChef Junior (American season 7).
MasterChef Junior
GenreCooking
Based onJunior MasterChef
Written byRobin Ashbrook
Judges
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes79
Production
Executive producer(s)
Production company(s)One Potato Two Potato
Endemol Shine North America
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 27, 2013 (2013-09-27) –
present
External links
Website

On March 5, 2014, MasterChef Junior was renewed for a third season before production on season two began.[2] The second season premiered on November 4, 2014.[3] The third season premiered on January 6, 2015.[4] The fourth season premiered on November 6, 2015.[5] The fifth season premiered on February 9, 2017.[6] The sixth season premiered on March 2, 2018.[7] On February 13, 2019, it was announced that the seventh season would premiere with a two-episode special[8] on March 12, 2019, with the judges being Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and Aarón Sanchez.[9]

On July 17, 2019, it was announced that the show would be returning for an eighth season, with Ramsay and Sanchez as returning judges, along with new judge Daphne Oz replacing Tosi.[10][11] The season will premiere in September 2020.[12][13]

Format

Any child between ages eight and thirteen can apply to become a contestant on the series by applying online or by going to an open casting call. The contestants are announced through a variety of methods over the years, sometimes via competitions, or sometimes the top contestants are simply announced.

As in its parent show MasterChef, the following challenges have all been regularly featured on the show:

  • Skills Test: Cooks are challenged to perform a list of common cooking techniques or styles, or to replicate a particular cooking method of a dish (i.e. steaks done to an exact wellness). This type of test is also sometimes used as an Elimination Test.
  • Mystery Box: Cooks are all given a box with the same ingredients and must use only those ingredients to create a dish within a fixed amount of time. The judges will select three dishes based on visual appearance and technique alone to taste, and from these three select one winner who usually gains an advantage of some type in the elimination test.
  • Elimination Test: After the challenge is explained, judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. The judges nominate the worst dishes for elimination and criticize them before eliminating at least one contestant.
  • Team Challenge: The cooks are split into teams by either team captains or the judges. They often occur in a restaurant takeover or pop-up restaurant taking the place of the staff of a particular restaurant. Diners taste both meals and vote for their favorite. The winning team advances, while the losing team will participate in the Pressure Test.
  • Pressure Test: Another form of the Elimination Test, in which losing team members compete against each other to make a standard dish within a very limited amount of time that requires a great degree of cooking finesse. Each dish is judged on taste, visual appeal and technique, and the losing chef is eliminated.

Once the competition is reduced to either the final two or three competitors, the finalists will compete against each other in a three-course cook-off. All courses of the meal are judged and an overall winner is crowned. The winner of each season wins $100,000, the MasterChef Junior trophy. and the title of MasterChef Junior. Some seasons have also added other prizes.

Series overview

Seasons
Season Eps. Original airdate Contestants Results Judges
Season premiere Season finale Winner Runner(s)-up
1 7 September 27, 2013 November 28, 2013 12 Alexander Weiss Dara Yu Gordon Ramsay Graham Elliot Joe Bastianich
2 November 4, 2014 December 16, 2014 16 Logan Guleff Samuel Stromberg
3 8 January 6, 2015 February 24, 2015 19 Nathan Odom Andrew Zappley
4 12 November 6, 2015 January 29, 2016 24 Addison Osta Smith Avery Kyle Christina Tosi
5 15 February 9, 2017 May 18, 2017 20 Jasmine Stewart Justise Mayberry Guest judges
6 March 2, 2018 May 18, 2018 24 Beni Cwiakala Avery Meadows
& Quani Fields		 Joe Bastianich
7 March 12, 2019 June 4, 2019 Che Spiotta Ivy Angst
& Malia Brauer		 Aarón Sanchez

Specials
Title Original air date U.S. viewers (millions)
"An Extra Serving"[14]April 27, 2017 (2017-04-27)2.65[15]
Gordon Ramsay recaps the events of the past five seasons; moments from past seasons, as well as never-before-seen bloopers, were shown; contestants from seasons 1–3 talked about the events in the years since they competed; Ramsay talks with the previous winners.
"The Road to the Finale"[16]May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)1.74[17]
Gordon Ramsay takes a look back at the events of season 6 along with some clips and bloopers, and shows some of the audition videos submitted for the show. The three finalists challenge Ramsay to cook their three favorite dishes in 30 minutes while they force him to switch from one dish to another. In the end, the kids playfully "eliminate" Ramsay.
"Celebrity Showdown"[18]November 22, 2018 (2018-11-22)5.31[19]
This two-hour special is hosted by Gordon Ramsay and Aarón Sanchez and teams celebrities up with past contestants and other kids in competitions. The first battle is between Eric Stonestreet and season 5 contestant Shayne Wells against Terrence Howard and season 6 finalist Avery Meadows in a Mystery Box challenge where they have one hour to cook a meal featuring nuts. Terrance and Avery win the challenge. The second battle is between Alyson Hannigan and her nine-year-old daughter Saty against Lil Rel Howery and his nine-year-old daughter Brittni where the teams must replicate a party platter of appetizers in one hour, and it will be a tag team battle where the parents first cook for twenty minutes, the kids then cook for twenty minutes, and then they cook together for twenty minutes. Alyson and Saty win the challenge. The third battle is between Emmitt Smith and season 6 winner Beni Cwiakala against Jerry Rice and season 4 winner Addison Osta Smith where the teams must cook a meal for a group of military members, doctors, nurses, and first responders in 60 minutes. Aarón joins up with Emmett and Beni while Gordon joins up with Jerry and Addison, while the judges will be the diners themselves and Lidia Bastianich. Emmett, Beni and Aarón win this challenge. All winning celebrities received $25,000 for their favorite charity, while the other celebrities received $15,000 for their charity.
"The Road to the Finale (2019)"[20]May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28)1.94[21]
Much like the Season 6 special, Gordon Ramsay takes a look back at the events of season 7 along with some clips and bloopers, and shows some of the audition videos submitted for the show. The three finalists get dedicated segments on their respective backgrounds, and Ramsay gets to dump cream and cocoa on them.

Development

Casting

Like its adult counterpart, at its inception MasterChef Junior was judged by Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot.[1] Bastianich did not return for the show's fourth season, being replaced by prominent pastry chef Christina Tosi.[22] Elliot did not return for the show's fifth season, and a series of rotating guest judges served for the third judge. For the sixth season, Bastianich returned to his judging position. In the seventh season, Bastianich left again and was replaced by Aarón Sanchez, who was one of the guest judges in season 5 as well as a judge on the adult MasterChef.

Production

Fox placed casting calls for participants in January 2013.[23] Fox officially ordered the series (then under the name Junior MasterChef) on May 10, 2013.[24] The name was later changed to MasterChef Junior. There were concerns that Ramsay's style of cursing at the contestants on his other competition shows (most notably Hell's Kitchen and the adult MasterChef) would carry over to MasterChef Junior. It did not. One contestant (named Gavin) said that Ramsay had only cursed twice during the production of the series and never at the contestants. In the final editing, he cursed once in front of (but not at) the contestants.[25]

Season synopsis

Season 1 (2013)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 1)

The first season premiered on September 27, 2013, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich acting as the judges.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 1 was Alexander Weiss, a thirteen-year-old from New York City.

Semifinalist Troy Glass is now an actor, appearing on Kids React and other cooking shows, and making cameos on shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Season 2 (2014)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 2)

The second season premiered on November 4, 2014, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich again acting as the judges.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 2 was Logan Guleff, an eleven-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee.

Season 3 (2015)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 3)

The third season premiered on January 6, 2015, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich once again acting as the judges.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 3 was Nathan Odom, a twelve-year-old from San Diego, California.

Season 4 (2015–16)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 4)

The fourth season premiered on November 6, 2015, with chefs Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Christina Tosi acting as the judges.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 4 was Addison Smith, a nine-year-old from River Forest, Illinois.

Season 5 (2017)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 5)

The fifth season premiered on February 9, 2017, with chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as the judges, along with numerous guest judges including Julie Bowen and Mayim Bialik.[26]

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 5 was Jasmine Stewart, an eleven-year-old from Milton, Georgia. She is the first previously eliminated contestant to win the competition.

Season 6 (2018)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 6)

The sixth season premiered on March 2, 2018, with returning chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as the judges, along with returning judge Joe Bastianich as the third judge.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 6 was Beni Cwiakala, a nine-year-old from Chicago, Illinois.

Season 7 (2019)
Main article: MasterChef Junior (American season 7)

The seventh season premiered on March 12, 2019, with returning chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi acting as the judges, along with returning judge Aarón Sanchez as the third judge.

The winner of MasterChef Junior season 7 was Che Spiotta, a twelve-year-old from Boiceville, New York.

Television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of MasterChef Junior on Fox.

Each US network TV season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
U.S. television ratings for MasterChef Junior
Season Timeslot (ET) Number of Episodes Premiere Finale TV Season Season ranking Season viewers
Date Viewers
(millions)		 Date Viewers
(millions)
1 Friday 8:00 PM 7 September 27, 2013 4.29[27] November 8, 2013 4.14[28] 2013–14 83[29] 5.56
2 Tuesday 8:00 PM November 4, 2014 5.09[30] December 16, 2014 5.66[27] 2014–15 89[31] 6.30
3 8 January 6, 2015 5.33[32] February 24, 2015 4.83[33]
4 Friday 8:00 PM 12 November 6, 2015 4.16[34] January 29, 2016 4.75[35] 2015–16 81[36] 5.67
5 Thursday 8:00 PM 15 February 9, 2017 4.21[37] May 18, 2017 3.52[38] 2016–17 97[39] 4.57
6 Friday 8:00 PM March 2, 2018 3.40[40] May 18, 2018 3.32[41] 2017–18 114[42] 4.33
7 Tuesday 8:00 PM March 12, 2019 2.82[43] June 4, 2019 3.27[44] 2018–19
gollark: I mean, dares are quite stupid anyway.
gollark: I'm quite scared of most dogs.
gollark: I like that one.
gollark: "Be polite and reasonable even when discussing controversial topics"?
gollark: "Don't offend everyone?"

See also

References
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  2. "Fox Orders Season 3 Of MasterChef Junior". Deadline Hollywood. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  3. Snetiker, Marc (October 2, 2014). "Meet the new kid chefs on 'MasterChef Junior' season 2". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  4. "'MasterChef Junior' Season 3 Premiere: The Cooking Competition Junior Edition Is Back On January 6, 2015! Judge Joe Bastianich Bids Good Bye To The Show". KDramaStars. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. "'Meet the Newest Batch of Bite-Sized Home Cooks on New Season of FOX's MASTERCHEF JUNIOR". Broadway World. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  6. "Masterchef Junior Returns February 9". Archived from the original on February 16, 2017.
  7. "Fan-Favorite "Masterchef Junior" Judge Joe Bastianich Returns For Season Six, Scheduled To Air During The 2017–2018 Season On Fox". Fox Flash Fox Publicity Online. September 19, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  8. Tingley, Anna; Tingley, Anna (March 12, 2019). "TV Roundup: Netflix Drops 'On My Block' Season 2 Trailer (Watch)". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  9. "FOX Announces Revised Premiere Dates for MasterChef Junior & Mental Samurai" (Press release). Fox. February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019 – via The Futon Critic.
  10. Tomás Mier (July 17, 2019). "Pregnant Daphne Oz Joins Judges Gordon Ramsay and Aarón Sanchez for MasterChef Junior Season 8". People. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  11. "FOX Renews MasterChef Junior for Season Eight and Announces New Judge Daphne Oz" (Press release). Fox. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
  12. "FOX Announces Fall 2020 Schedule" (Press release). Fox. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via The Futon Critic.
  13. MasterChef Junior [@MasterChefJrFOX] (July 15, 2020). "Bring on the aprons! 👨‍🍳 A brand-new season of #MasterChefJunior premieres this September on @FOXTV" (Tweet). Retrieved July 15, 2020 – via Twitter.
  14. "Breaking News – First-Ever "MasterChef Junior" Special to Air Thursday, April 27, on FOX". Futon Critic. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  15. Porter, Rick (April 28, 2017). "'Big Bang Theory,' 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Masterchef Junior' adjust up; 'The Catch' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  16. "Relive the Best Moments of "MasterChef Junior" Season Six in the All-New Special "Masterchef Junior: The Road to the Finale" Tuesday, May 15 at 8/7c on FOX!". Futon Critic. April 24, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  17. Porter, Rick (May 16, 2018). "'The Middle,' 'NCIS,' 'Chicago Med' adjust up, 'The 100' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  18. "Stars Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Culinary Battle on the All-New Special 'MasterChef Junior: Celebrity Showdown,' Thursday, November 22, on FOX". Futon Critic (Press release). October 24, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  19. Welch, Alex (November 27, 2018). "'Thursday Night Football' adjusts up, 'MasterChef Junior: Celebrity Showdown' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  20. "Take a Look Back at the Season's Best Moments on an All-New "MasterChef" Tuesday, May 28 on FOX". Futon Critic (Press release). Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  21. Welch, Alex (May 30, 2019). "'Songland,' '1969,' and others adjust down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  22. Nellie Andreeva (January 13, 2015). "MasterChef Junior Renewed For Season 4, Christina Tosi Joins As New Judge". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  23. Nguyen, Tina (January 18, 2013). "MasterChef Now Casting For Children For Gordon Ramsay To Emotionally Destroy". TheBraiser.com. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  24. Marechal, AJ (May 10, 2013). "Fox, Gordon Ramsay to Cook Up 'Junior Masterchef'". Variety. Variety Media. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  25. Harris, Beth (August 2, 2013). "'MasterChef Junior': Gordon Ramsay Talks New Fox Cooking Series Featuring Children". HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  26. "MasterChef Junior Returns February 9!". Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  27. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 17, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS' & 'The Voice' Adjusted Up, No Adjustment for 'Person of Interest' or 'MasterChef Junior'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  28. Bibel, Sara (November 11, 2013). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Dracula' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  29. "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  30. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 5, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'About a Boy' & 'Selfie' Adjusted Down + Final Election Coverage Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  31. Lisa de Moraes. "2014–15 Full TV Season Ratings: Rankings For All Shows – Deadline". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.
  32. Bibel, Sara (January 8, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: No Adjustments to 'Agent Carter', 'Person of Interest' or 'Forever'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  33. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 25, 2015). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up; 'NCIS', 'NCIS: New Orleans', 'Fresh Off the Boat', 'New Girl' & 'TV's Hottest Commercials' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  34. Porter, Rick (November 9, 2015). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Blue Bloods' adjusts up, everything else holds". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  35. Porter, Rick (February 1, 2016). "Friday final ratings: 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Originals' and everything else unchanged". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  36. Lisa de Moraes (May 26, 2016). "Full 2015-16 TV Season Series Rankings: Blindspot, Life In Pieces & Quantico Lead Newcomers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  37. Porter, Rick (February 10, 2017). "'Riverdale' adjusts up; 'Great Indoors,' 'Powerless,' 'Mom,' 'Chicago Med' down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  38. Porter, Rick (May 19, 2017). "'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Masterchef Junior' finales, 'Amazing Race' adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  39. Lisa de Moraes (May 25, 2017). "Final 2016-17 TV Rankings: Sunday Night Football Winning Streak Continues". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  40. Porter, Rick (March 5, 2018). "'Blue Bloods,' 'Blindspot,' all others unchanged: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  41. Porter, Rick (May 21, 2018). "'Blindspot,' '20/20,' 'Life Sentence,' 'Harry & Meghan' special all adjust down: Friday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  42. Lisa de Moraes; Patrick Hipes (May 22, 2018). "2017-18 TV Series Ratings Rankings: NFL Football, Big Bang Top Charts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  43. Welch, Alex (March 13, 2019). "'The Bachelor' adjusts up, 'FBI' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  44. Welch, Alex (June 5, 2019). "'America's Got Talent,' 'Songland,' everything else unchanged: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
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